Taiwan on Monday launched five days of military drills intended to increase combat readiness against a potential Chinese invasion.
More so than previous drills, the new “Immediate Combat Readiness Exercises” were meant to be highly realistic simulations of the final hours before a Chinese attack begins, which means they involved tanks driving through the streets and troops maneuvering around civilian areas.
According to the Taiwanese Ministry of Defense, the exercises were also meant to simulate responses to “grey-zone warfare,” which covers various Chinese intimidation and distraction tactics that stop short of combat.
China helpfully demonstrated how grey-zone tactics work by launching 23 aircraft and seven warships at Taiwan on Sunday night. Taiwanese planners said they wanted to run through a scenario in which one of China’s intimidating offshore military exercises suddenly turned into a real attack.
China’s newest and first indigenously designed aircraft carrier, the Fujian, sailed through the Strait of Taiwan on Tuesday, even as Taiwan’s self-defense exercise was in full swing. The Taiwanese Defense ministry said it was “closely monitoring” the Chinese carrier, using “joint intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems.”
Defense Minister Wellington Koo said the new drills were “intended to build the speed we believe is necessary for converting from peacetime to wartime status,” because the “warning time is shortening.”
China’s Taiwan Affairs Office responded by accusing Taiwan’s governing party, the DPP, of harboring “malicious intent to seek independence by force.”
“In the face of the powerful people’s army, the DPP authorities’ posturing is completely futile; it will only harm and destroy Taiwan and bring about their own destruction,” said spokeswoman Zhang Han.
Han said China wants “peaceful reunification,” but “will never pledge to renounce the use of force,” and “will never leave any room for separatist activities seeking Taiwan independence in any form.”
America’s top diplomat in Taipei, Raymond Greene, expressed full support for Taiwan’s increased military spending, ambitious modernization program, and updated readiness drills.
“In line with the U.S. national security strategy, we aim to work alongside regional allies to maintain the status quo of the first island chain and prevent any attempts to take Taiwan by force,” Greene said. The “first island chain” is a grouping that includes Taiwan, the Philippines, and Borneo.